Floating solar market trends in India : a booming source of energy

Trends in the floating solar market are on the rise in India. While India has experienced a rapid economic growth for the past 2 decades, the country’s electricity needs has also bloomed significantly To pursuit its goals of sustainable development, the country confirmed its commitment to achieving  500 gigawatts of renewable energy production capacity by 2030. In 2018, only 3 MW of floating solar has been installed  in the country, the technology is becoming a crucial component of energy production reaching 434 MW installed in 2023*.  In addition to meeting the challenge of answering the increasing energy need, floating solar also enables to preserve lands and to save water by reducing evaporation.

*Internally consolidated data based on all floating solar projects built in the country between 2013 and 2023 from our Market analysis department

Creating Ciel & Terre India as a solution for the development of renewable energy

Ciel & Terre India: heart of floating solar quality

Few years after the creation of the Hydrelio® floating solar technology in 2010, Ciel & Terre launched his branch in India in 2018.
Locally, the company has grown from a dedicated team of 7 employees at its inception in Hebbal to over 70 employees today in Bangalore, in 2024. The favorable legislative and political context made possible the development of the first projects. This development was possible by the favorable legislative and political context that enabled the first projects to see the light.

In addition to the development of floating solar locally, the Indian subsidiary also consolidated the company’s R&D resources. Indeed, it is in India that Ciel & Terre launched its own laboratory to contribute to the continuous solutions improvement processes. The lab enables Ciel & Terre to become increasingly autonomous in its global quality approach.

A successful company that grows with market trends

Floating Solar Market trends are positive in India. In just a couple of years, Ciel & Terre has responded to the needs of this fast-growing sector. Let’s have a look of the key floating solar market’s milestones since Ciel & Terre India creation in 2018:

Ciel & Terre’s proven experience and expertise in meeting local challenges

Indian floating solar market specificities

The Indian floating solar power market today presents many challenges for engineers and project teams. The country’s vast geographical expanse and tropical climate significantly contribute to the technical difficulties of these challenges.

The monsoon season, for example, causes water level variations in the basins that go up and down in a short amount of time. Therefore, it is essential for the floating solar plant anchoring teams to take these tidal ranges  into account so that the floating platforms can be installed sustainably.

The ponds available are also extremely varied in type and depth. It is possible to develop floating solar power plants in the country  on industrial ponds, waterways, water storage or also recreation  ponds. These local specificities do not exclude considering other essential parameters for the construction of floating solar plants, such as bathymetry, wave height and wind.

Today, a total of 7 projects have already been installed in the country  by the company, representing a total of 236.5  MW installed by Ciel & Terre India. Besides, the new projects in the pipeline for 2024 will more than match the capacity already installed, but this time, in just a few months.

The last MW Scale floating solar project by Ciel & Terre India : Omkareshwar Reservoir

The Indian market is also home of large-scale FPV projects such as Kayamkulam project but also Omkareshwar #1 project in 2023, still under construction.

The first challenge of this megawatt scale project was anchoring. Due to its specific bathymetry and the rocky soil composition, Ciel & Terre India has innovated in the anchoring solutions with mixing anchor types and by using a new anchoring system allowing the installation of the anchor in a hard soil.

In addition, the site’s environmental loads are quite tough , with frequent heavy winds and waves. The same applies to sudden changes in water level, which are also possible on the pond. All these factors were key parameters to consider at the early design stage and during the construction of the project.

Keep an eye on floating solar opportunities in India

The  Indian floating solar market is still in its infancy, but it has made significant progress compared to other regions . This nascent stage is just the beginning of a potential estimated at a minimum of 800 MW for floating solar  in the country (NTPC, 2017). India has many water bodies already ready for new projects and capable of serving the country’s sustainable development objectives in long term. In summary, the trends in the floating solar energy market in India should be monitored over the next few years. Numerous project opportunities are sure to arise for all players in the industry.